Dutch Oven vs Stock Pot – What’s The Difference?

Seems like you can’t decide which one to buy: Dutch oven or stockpot? Sometimes it isn’t easy to decide what to buy, especially when various options are Infront. But don’t worry, we will help you sort out all your problems.

Both cook wares Dutch oven and Stock pot comes with pros and cons. The main difference starts from the build-in material of both: the Dutch oven is made from cast iron, while the stock pot is made from aluminum.  Stock pots are lighter in weight as compared to Dutch ovens.

If we talk about the build in logic of the Dutch oven, that would be the cast iron adds strength to it but also causes rigidness’. To counter cover the brittleness, the walls of the Dutch oven are thicker. On the other hand, the stock pot, which is made from stainless steel, is malleable and not brittle at all.

Dutch oven and stock pots are versatile cookware with many uses but in different ways. Another difference is that the Dutch oven is used for slow cooking and is oven safe, while the stock pot is used for heavy cooking and is not oven safe.

To further know the basic differences, characteristics and uses of Dutch oven and Stock pot, read the below-mentioned article.

Dutch Oven

Dutch Oven is made from enameled cast iron which contains five quarts. It comes in various shapes, sizes and specific forms according to the buyer’s need. There exists two main types of Dutch ovens indoor Dutch oven and outdoor Dutch oven.

1. Outdoor Dutch Oven

The outdoor type is made from strong cast iron with a heavy base and a sealed tight lid. These Dutch ovens are large in size, and round pots have more capacity. The bottom of these pots is flat so that one can place it directly on the coal or have small legs to maintain distance from coal.

Outdoor Dutch ovens are designed for long term cooking on low or medium fire type heat sources. These ovens are made from stainless steel with a highly colorful coating so that rusting can’t take place. These Dutch ovens are used by food vendors and for outdoor kitchen service.

2. Indoor Dutch Oven

There exist many indoor Dutch ovens with a stylish appearance and high durability. These Dutch ovens are used for cooking food for a longer time period. The build-in of indoor Dutch ovens is of cast iron with a porcelain enameled nonstick base.

Porcelain comes in various colors, so you can buy any of the Dutch ovens which match your kitchen coloring. Indoor Dutch ovens have flat bottoms and gripped handles to move them without burning your hand. The sizes and shapes vary, and you can buy any of the Dutch ovens that suit you.

Uses

Dutch ovens are used for many purposes, out of which some are mentioned below:

1. These are used to stew meat.
2. Dutch oven is a great choice for slow roasting larger meat pieces, broiling meat and broiling food.
3. It can also be used for baking casseroles and baking stuff like bread, cake etc.
4. Dutch ovens are also used to make soups, sauté veggies and sauce preparation.
5. One can also cook pasta in it for several people.

Since you have known all about the Dutch oven, now let’s learn some interesting facts about Stock Pot.

Stock Pot

Stock pot is traditional cookware that is designed to have a large capacity to cook a big batch of food items. The stock pots are straight and tall and allow more quantity of food. The sides are also longer, with a square base.

It consists of two handles that contain a good grip and allow safe transportation. The handles are wider and longer so that the user can form a tight grip. There also comes a flared lip sort of design from the rim of the pot.

Stock pots are taller as compared to normal average pots and have a thin base with a wide diameter, and the sides are straight, so that’s why we can add large quantity solid and liquid food items in it. The sizes of stockpot also vary; for example, the size of the All-CLAD pot is shorter, with small walls and wider opening.

 One can use a stock pot instead of a Dutch oven due to its large capacity, and as it is made from stainless steel, it is more durable. The stock pot can only be used on the stove top as it is designed in such a way that it can’t be placed on direct flame such as fire. You can’t utilize the stock pot in the oven as it doesn’t have the nonstick base, and exposure to temperature for too long can denature the stock pot.

Uses

Stock pots can be used for various purposes, out of which some are mentioned below.

1. Stock pot is a great source for heating food items such as soups, curry etc.
2. It can cook large batches of soups, stock, broth.
3. It can boil meat and meat products.
4. Boiling pasta is also a major use of stock pot.
5. Any food that contains more liquid content can be cooked easily.
6. Blanching foods is also a pro point of the stock pot.

So, what’s the difference between a Dutch Oven and a Stock Pot?

Summarize the article mentioned above into key points so that you can better understand the difference between Dutch oven and Stock pot.

1. A Dutch oven is used for slow cooking such as stews, braises while a Stock oven is used for heavy cooking such as broth or soups.
2. The build-in material of the Dutch oven is enameled cast iron, while the material used for Stock pot is stainless steel or aluminum.
3. The Dutch oven is slow in heating up while the stock pot gets heated immediately.
4. Stock Pot cannot be used in the oven, while a Dutch oven can be utilized.
5. A Dutch oven is heavier than a stock pot.
6. A Dutch oven is more expensive than a stock pot.

Sources:

• Unocasa
• Prudentreview